Anthony Hopkins movies are always a joy to watch. The legendary actor has spent more than five decades honing his skills, resulting in a distinctive acting style that is admired around the world, bringing something different to each and every movie he makes.
Script mastery is one of Anthony Hopkins’ main strengths in his acting chops: he reads every script exactly 250 times. Hopkins once said, “I like to study the text. I read it 250 times. I don’t know why, but that’s the magic number. I save the acting for when the director says Action.” In all of Anthony Hopkins’ films, this is the method the classically trained actor religiously employs in his firm belief that rehearsals are unnecessary and, to the directors’ chagrin, he does not tolerate retakes either!
Sir Anthony Hopkins has also ventured into film directing, his first being 1996’s “August”. Hopkins found the making of the film itself “surprisingly easy” in his own words, but fell apart when it came to editing and had to turn this part of the process over to editor Edward Mansell, who made ninety minutes of cuts and it was at this point that Hopkins realized that his new directing career was ill-conceived and that his calling was first and foremost an actor and his self-directed films were unsuccessful at the box office.
As an actor, character studies of great substance excite Anthony Hopkins, excelling at deep character research almost fanatically. Hopkins played President Richard Nixon in the 1995 film “Nixon,” initially incensed by director Oliver Stone’s suggestion of himself, a British actor playing an American president. However, Hopkins gradually accepted the role, even though he knew he was taking a risk at the time when he was at the height of his career, following his Oscar-winning performance in 1991 for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.” Anthony Hopkins spent more than 50 hours viewing video footage of the late president in preparation for the movie “Nixon,” honing his mannerisms and accent, capturing the essence of the man, rather than his physical appearance. His Oscar-nominated performance was powerful and, combined with the excellent cinematography and musical score, the film is a truly enjoyable drama from start to finish, being one of Anthony Hopkins’ favorite films of all time.
Other Anthony Hopkins films that involve the great actor’s knack for character study include 1981’s The Bunker, in which he plays Adolf Hitler, during his downfall and final days before he is defeated. Hopkins’ award-winning performance was highly convincing, especially in the final scenes of Hitler’s hysteria and madness, an early confirmation in Hopkins’ career of his ability to deftly portray madmen and monsters. In 1996’s “Surviving Picasso,” where Hopkins plays the artist Pablo Picasso, playing the monster in the manipulative, self-centered womanizing artist, and character study comes into play again; this time he even looks like Picasso, making the acting even more believable.